Your Poudre School District newsletter

Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022

Students in winter clothes pass a frozen turkey to another student.

Photo caption: Lopez Elementary School students gather in the bed of a pickup truck, where two children hand a frozen turkey to a student standing on the ground in the parking lot.

PSD holiday giving kicks off with Turkey Roundup events

Poudre School District staff, students, and families braved the cold and snow Nov. 17 to collect frozen turkeys and other food items for the Food Bank for Larimer County during the annual PSD Turkey Round Up.

PSD collected 1,377 turkeys in this year's round up, with the most turkeys coming from Bacon Elementary (149 turkeys) and Zach Elementary (148 turkeys). Zach also donated $440 (the largest monetary donation from a school), and Kinard donated the most food items (not counting turkeys), with a hefty 900 pounds of food collected. The food gathered in the Turkey Round Up will help members of our community ensure their families do not go hungry during the holidays. Visit PSD's Facebook page for more photos. >>

Strategic Plan graphic with the words PSD Strategic Plan at the bottom.

Image caption: PSD Strategic Plan graphic.

Strategic Plan Survey

Throughout the fall, PSD hosted 35 community engagement sessions in multiple languages to get feedback from students, staff, parents/guardians, and community members. We updated PSD’s strategic plan framework based on what you shared and want to get your opinions one more time. Below is a link to a survey that will be open through Dec. 11.

Here is a link to fill out a Strategic Plan survey. >>

CSU honors elementary poem contest winners

Congratulations to the winners of the Poem Contest held in conjunction with Colorado State University Education Day! The winners are:

Kindergarten: Benjamin R. of Shepardson Elementary. Teacher: Gabriella Torgerson.
First Grade: Jazmin Hernandez-Adorno of Zach Elementary. Teacher: Rachel Stansberry.
Second Grade: Ellie Cheramy of Eyestone Elementary. Teacher: Katherine Brown.
Third Grade: Sage Smith of Laurel Elementary. Teacher: Sheri McGuire.
Fourth Grade: Johnny Bailey of Lopez Elementary. Teacher: Mary Spezza.
Fifth Grade: Gavin Norby of Shepardson Elementary. Teacher: Angela Bergeron.

Boy in coat and stocking cap shakes hands with Cam the Ram mascot.

Photo Caption: Colorado State University mascot CAM the Ram shakes hands with Gavin Norby, winner of the fifth-grade category in the poetry contest, at Shepardson Elementary School last month.

Winners of the CSU poetry contest stand with teachers and cheerleaders.

Photo Caption: Winners of the CSU poetry contest gather on the field during the CSU Education Day football game Nov. 25 at Canvas Stadium.

Drug, alcohol parent information nights

Thank you to everyone who came to Wednesday's parent education session on marijuana, hosted by PSD's high school drug and alcohol specialists. There are two more opportunities in December for parents, guardians, and community members to learn more about current trends in teen substance use.

Dec. 7: Learn about teen alcohol use, including the impact of drinking on the brain, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Poudre High School, 201 S. Impala Drive in Fort Collins.

Dec. 14: Learn about fentanyl and prescription drug abuse from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Fossil Ridge High School, 5400 Ziegler Road in Fort Collins.

A school employee stretches out her arms to welcome two students off a school bus.

A student holds the top of a cello while seated at an orchestra performance.

Photo captions: Adults welcome students off the school bus (above). Orchestra students perform (below).

The time to register for 2023-24 is now!

Online registration for next school year opened this Monday. Registering now helps schools plan ahead for next school year and predict next year's enrollment as accurately as possible to assist in responding to school choice applications (which are being accepted through Dec. 15). Learn about school choice on the PSD website. >>

While all grades can register now online, parents and guardians who want to register their child for kindergarten in person can do so at their child's future elementary school on Dec. 7. Learn about kindergarten registration on the PSD website. >>

Learn more about registering your child for the 2023-24 school year on the PSD website. >>